Corvette Fighter? Volkswagen Once Built a Golf Roadster, but Never Sent It Into Production

Back in 2014, when Volkswagen unveiled the Golf GTI Roadster, it described it as a spectacular concept car that blurs the boundaries between virtual and real worlds. In fact, it doesn't just blur them. It simply blows them up.

The roadster, a collaboration between Volkswagen and Sony Computer Entertainment to mark the 15th anniversary of Gran Turismo, was first shown in America at the Los Angeles International Auto Show, following its debut at the Worthersee enthusiast festival in Austria six months before.

Sitting on the then-new MQB architecture, which has been underpinning the Golf, Golf GTI, e-Golf, and Golf R versions, it was originally just CGI for the Sony PlayStation 3 classic "Gran Turismo 6" before it came to life.

The two-seat received a 3.0-liter twin-turbocharged TSi V6, borrowed from the Touareg SUV, which pumped out 503 horsepower and 413 pound-feet of torque, which makes it sound like it would have given the Chevy Corvette Stingray a run for its money. A seven-speed dual-clutch DSG automatic transmission puts the power down with the help of a 4MOTION all-wheel-drive system.

The roadster tips the scales at 3,133 pounds. That is how much the V6 has to pull to make the car rocket from zero to hero (0 to 60 mph or 0 to 97 kph) in just 3.6 seconds and max out at 192 mph. 

But the concept car had come a long way from its purely virtual form. Following an in-house competition, where young designers submitted their visions, designers Malte Hammerbeck and Domen Rucigaj ended up responsible for the exterior, while Guillermo Mignot penned the interior.

Together, the three formed what was called the Vision GTI-GT6 task force, developing a car for which even the 3D model was CGI. Sony and Volkswagen unveiled the PlayStation model on May 26. Three days later, the car came to life in the shape of the Volkswagen Golf GTI Roadster. The German firm called it "the most spectacular GTI ever," and it really was and is, even 12 years later.

Compact and featuring short overhangs, the Roadster is 163.7 inches (4,157 millimeters) long, 74.6 inches (1,895 millimeters) wide, and 42.9 inches (1,090 millimeters) tall (or short), which is slightly taller than a Formula 1 race car.

The design is futuristic even by today’s standards. The wing at the rear screams "look at me" and generates tons (not literally!) of downforce to help traction. At the front, it looks very much like a Golf GTI teleported from the future. There is the classic Volkswagen badge, the GTI logo, dual LED headlights, and LED running lights, sitting atop the splitter designed to increase downforce. 

Meanwhile, the carbon blades at the front continue uninterrupted across the side skirts and into the rear section, as a wrap-around design element. The trapezoidal dual exhaust tailpipes let out the V6 orchestra from under the hood.

The C-pillars extend into the roof to form a roll-over bar. The unconventional doors, framed by the side skirts, swivel up and forward, while the heavily flared wheel arches give the concept car a muscular stance. An illuminated GTI badge, integrated in the "tornado" line, shows up on the sides, drawing all the attention when you look at the low-profile, speedboat-like profile of the vehicle.

A heavily raked windshield creates a cocoon, protecting the driver and passenger from the wind in a cabin with no roof. The car rides on 20-inch wheels with tires measuring 235/35/ ZR20 up front and 275/30 ZR20 out back. Large brakes (15.0 inches front and 14.0 inches back) provide the stopping power.

The two-seater features a carbon fiber monocoque split in two by an open bar transcending from rear to front. A fire extinguisher sits under it, and the start button is positioned right above it. The driver and passenger sit in race-style bucket seats with five-point race harnesses but no adjustment. 

A four-spoke grip-style steering wheel wrapped in Alcantara steers the car. A motorsport-inspired cockpit display is mounted directly to the very long, exposed steering column with shift paddles.

The Golf GTI Roadster is a concept car that Volkswagen still takes pride in. The German automaker took it alongside other Golf concept cars and all eight generations to an event in Barcelona, Spain, to mark the 50th anniversary of the Golf GTI.

To celebrate the moment, Volkswagen unveiled the Golf GTI 50 Edition last summer. The hot hatch comes with a 2.0-liter inline-four under the hood, 321 horsepower (325 metric horsepower), and 310 pound-feet (420 Newton meters) of torque. The Germans claim it is the fastest, most powerful production GTI to date.